Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: A day after several media persons were heckled by supporters of Team Anna at Jantar Mantar, Anna Hazare on Tuesday regretted the misbehaviour and said sorry for the incident.
“I would like to say sorry (to the media persons)” on behalf of those who were involved in the scuffle, Hazare said from stage at the fast venue.
Hazare said he was saddened by what had happened last night and told his supporters, “There should be no violence, not even in words.”
“If you indulge in violence, the government will scuttle this protest in a matter of two days,” he warned his supporters, advising them to protest peacefully.
He even said that he would call off the movement if such incidents recur.
The anti-corruption activist further said that “we have to strengthen democracy together with the media”.
Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal also described the attack on media persons as wrong, saying reporters have become part of their agitation.
The media is not to be blamed, he added.
The apology came after the Broadcast Editors' Association (BEA) condemned the misbehaviour with media persons at Jantar Mantar.
The BEA had demanded an immediate apology from Team Anna.
"The Broadcast Editors' Association strongly condemns attack on media by Anna supporters. The BEA believes that this is an interference in the functioning of media. The media is discharging its legitimate duty of covering the agitation in a fair manner. The BEA seeks an immediate apology from Team Anna for the misbehaviour by its supporters," the BEA had said in a press release.
The scuffle took place at around 10 pm last night, after a Team Anna member claimed on stage that the media was not fairly covering the movement.
Team Anna member Kumar Vishwas had also condemned the incident saying the scuffle was unwarranted.
First Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2012, 09:15